Full Moon ( Pink Moon) Grace Rodgers, 7th April 2021. Higher Close, Dartington.
Full Moon (Flower Moon) Grace Rodgers, 26th May 2021, Dartington Estate. Lunar eclipse. Beginning of the 6th Sun in ancient Mayan Culture.
A Time of New Beginnings
During the residency I’ve been accompanied by Ian Siddons Heginworth’s book . The cover describes it as ‘a soul journey through the months of the year’. As a permaculturist, keen to appreciate places in the context of the seasonal cycles, I drew on the chapter for the month of May:
‘This doorway (Beltane) leads us into the light half of the Celtic year, so we bring with us much that was unconscious and in the dark into consciousness and into the light. As we do so we ascend with the vegetation to a new level of growth’ - Siddons Heginworth.
1st May, or May Day, is a time of new beginnings and is traditionally marked with the Beltane fire festival (the name derives from the Gaelic ‘Bel’ meaning ‘Bright’ and ‘Tien’ meaning ‘Fire’.) Traditionally the village came together to light the fire, set intentions for the year ahead, each family returning home with a flame from the fire to light their own hearth. In doing this, the community felt unified by the spark from the Beltane fire throughout the year. These ancient human ceremonies that have mapped the seasons across the world are of great interest to me and i feel that bringing them back to facilitate sense of community and alleviate loneliness could be of huge benefit to society.
In light of the timing of this residency, with the new Dartington Arts School opening and UK lockdowns imminently due to be eased, alongside the start of a personal creative journey through the MA, the timing of Beltane felt like an invitation to connect with other students and staff, both at Schumacher College and on the Dartington Estate and to welcome in this time of awakening and emergence together.
So, I arranged and hosted a Beltane fire in the redwoods, completed a risk assessment and invited the learning community to join. We shared inspiring words, sang and set intentions for the coming season. I shared the story of The Children’s Fire, about an ancient ritual practised in Native American culture by the elders in which a pledge is made around a fire at the start of a meeting, that all decisions made will not harm the next 7 generations of children.
Beltane Fire gathering at the Redwoods Firepit, 1st May 2021. Hosted by myself with collaboration from staff and students at Schumacher College.
A Minimoon aka Micromoon occurred on 11th May 2021, a tiny silver thread in the dark sky. New Moons, too, are traditionally symbolic of new beginnings.
Light Painting under Moonlight
‘Moonbeams and Dieselight, etched in the memory’ Grace Rodgers, 25/05/21, Light Painting at Dartington Hall.
Inspired by the light-painting Workshop earlier in the course, I took this photograph outside the East Wing at Dartington Hall on a 60 second exposure.
